Faithful readers know that our typical cruising “season” runs from early November, when we put TT2 back into the water, until the next September, when we put the boat on the hard and fly back to the States (or elsewhere) to impose on friends and relatives.  Last season we began having an increased number of mechanical “issues”, including replacing the position sensor on one of the stabilizers and the hydraulic arm on the other – both done in Trinidad — and having the external seals replaced on both – done in Puerto Rico.  We had continual problems with the water maker. I had to rebuild the Maxwell anchor winch.  I replaced the alternator on the John Deer propulsion engine.  We replaced eight Trojan L16H-AC 6-volt batteries (the house bank), the 12-volt Group 8D start battery for the John Deere, and the 12-volt Group 4D start battery for the genset.  I replaced the impeller and a broken throttle cable on the 25 hp 2-stroke Yamaha dinghy engine.  I replaced the VHF radio in the flybridge, and a GPS in the pilothouse.

This season our problems began early; while leaving Crews Inn Marina in Trinidad the bow thruster apparently sucked up a piece of debris and jammed, breaking off a tooth of a gear in the lower unit.  That is still not resolved, since MAX Power has just emerged from a bankruptcy that resulted in a change of ownership, and has only just recently begun replenishing its stocks.  We are told that we will need to replace the entire drive foot, and have one on order.

Other problems and solutions this season included replacing the raw water pumps on the John Deere and the Northern Lights genset; replacing a broken knuckle on the end of a stabilizer hydraulic arm; replacing the garden-hose spigot in the cockpit; replacing the hose on the Scandvik transom shower; and the repairs mentioned in our most recent posts:  another rebuild of the water maker Energy Transfer Device, this time more successful after finally getting the right seal kit, but made more complicated by needing to replace a broken elbow, which required retapping two new threads; getting the scale flushed out of the Yamaha cooling system; replacing the electric horns on the flybridge; replacing the solenoids on the davit; and replacing the stop-solenoid on the genset.

For the land-lubbers among our readers who picture our life as one endless lounge with drinks on a beach, perhaps the description recounted above can the lend some credence to the oft-quoted definition among cruisers of “cruising”:  boat repair in exotic places.

I’ll drink to that!